Exeter medical school applicants 2014

BMBS Programme
•Fully integrated (100 per cent integrated)
•Community-based programme (25 - 49 per cent of curriculum)
•Problem-based (75 - 99 per cent of curriculum used for student-activating learning and teaching methods)

Number of years of the programme which include clinical training: 5
Clinical training is 75 - 99 per cent of the full programme

Number of years of the programme which include time with real patients: 5
Time with patients is 75 - 99 per cent of the full programme


BMBS Course Overview

Exeter (Peninsula) Medical School’s approach to medical education is both innovative and progressive, with a strong focus on independent learning and innovative teaching methods. Learning at Exeter is primarily structured around fortnightly case units which underpin and springboard learning. Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Life Sciences Resource Centre (LSRC) sessions are the main tools which support the case units and facilitate learning. These are then integrated with clinical skills sessions, community placements and jigsaw sessions which help to develop clinical reasoning and functional medical knowledge.

Problem Based Learning is a concept which has evolved a great deal since the 1980s when it was first introduced into UK Medical curriculum. It is now far more structured than it used to be.

The main misconception among applicants and some students is that PBL is a teaching method. This is not true.

- PBL is a tool used alongside other teaching methods to increase engagement with the content being learnt and enhance retention. It is not a stand alone tool. Even at the most PBL oriented schools (e.g - Manchester/Exeter/Plymouth etc.) it only makes up less than 30% of teaching time, the rest is more traditional large and small group didactic and interactive teaching.

PBL as a Teaching Method?

PBL on its own is useless.

It cannot be a standalone method for knowledge acquisition/teaching at the Pre-clinical level. Therefore, now no medical course uses PBL on its own, it is always complimented with other teaching methods.

Even at medical schools which have a highly PBL-based curriculum (e.g Manchester, Exeter, Plymouth, HYMS, UEA), it is not used on its own. A variety of other learning tools are also used in conjunction with PBL, i.e seminars, large group didactic teaching, small/large group interactive teaching and of course self-directed study.

Also the types of PBL used currently across the UK are a far cry from the original PBL models originally implemented. Originally PBL was intended to be a solely student oriented unstructured activity where students worked together through a series of clinical problems.

This is not the case now, PBL is now far more structured with clinicians facilitating the sessions, students are provided with a more structured study guide and a study guide/syllabus of the basic science content which should covered by lectures/seminars, tutorials and in self-study is available.

Is PBL and Advantage or a Disadvantage?

Within a format as described above and a well functioning group, PBL works fantastically well. Even within PBL groups which are awful with poor facilitation the other aspects of so called PBL-based courses provide a net to prevent a lack of learning.

The main disadvantage of PBL courses is that people can fall through the net, and easily get through (year 1 and 2) without learning a lot of the basics.

The Future of PBL?

This does not mean that PBL based courses are the way forward. However, the benefits PBL provides students in terms of team dynamics, adaptability, communications skills cannot be denied and not to mention the ability to find, select and use appropriate resources to acquire medical knowledge (pre-clinical and clinical) whilst evaluating the validity of those resources. (Wikipedia has its use but its is not an ideal resource and is rarely used as a standalone resource but merely a starting point)

For these reasons there has recently been an increase in structured small group learning across the majority of all UK medical schools, all you need to do is look at the new/updated course structures several medical schools have been implementing over the last few years. (UCL and Cardiff spring to mind)

How does the St. Luke's campus compare to the streathman, I am worried med students may be a bit isolated from the rest of the uni?

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St Luke's if far smaller, and you are isolated from other students at the university, except the allied health students (sports science, physio etc)

There are enough medical students for it to not matter anyway, plus main campus is not that far away.


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Hi.I want to apply here amongst others but wondered what my chances are with GCSEs 6A*,5A and AABB at AS (History,Biology,Chemistry and Maths respectively)(I am planning to drop Maths for A2) and should get AAA predicted at A2 for the others.I got a UKCAT of 710.
What are my chances??

Just had a check at their website and definitely going to apply here Does anyone know the weighting on the Academic Profile/UKCAT?

They dont care much about gcses, 7cs to include eng lang and maths min. They tend to like people with achieved a level grades of at least AAA and they are very likely to get an interview offer even if the ukcat isnt that good


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For all those who are applying to this medical school, subscribe!!!

Edit: I just got an offer through clearing to study medicine at plymouth peninsula medical school, however i will still be of assistance to any of you that need help with your application, please feel free to email/fb/message me.

For all those who are applying to this medical school, subscribe!!!

Edit: I just got an offer through clearing to study medicine at plymouth peninsula medical school, however i will still be of assistance to any of you that need help with your application, please feel free to email/fb/message me.